How to Enjoy A Healthy Vacation 7 Tips to Enjoy Your Time Away Without Sacrificing Your Health – For some of us, planning travel can bring concerns about what we’ll eat and how we’ll avoid circumstances that challenge our health. While many people indulge during vacation, many of us choose not to change our dietary habits during our time away or need to stick to a specific way of eating to ensure we feel our best. The good news is that it’s never been easier to plan travel while maintaining healthy habits!
Easier Than It Seems
The most unnerving thing about planning a trip when you’re used to healthy options is fear of the unknown. We ask questions like, “Will there be options for me where I’m going?” and “Will I encounter nasty toxic perfumes and laundry detergent in my accommodations?”
With a bit of planning ahead, you can take away just about all of your unknowns so you can travel relaxed with the peace of mind you deserve. Read below for my top seven tips for healthy travel that don’t take away from the fun part of getting away.
Tip 1: Preparation is Everything
When you’re ready for anything, healthy travel is a breeze. Every time my family and I travel together, we leave with enough meals packed for our travel time and a little extra in case of delays or emergencies.
If you haven’t noticed, airports and airplanes are not exactly brimming with healthy meal options satisfying enough to last a long flight. There are only so many $10 fruit cups a traveler can buy! With a combination of homemade and pre-packaged travel-friendly meals and snacks, you can ensure that your travel time is stress-free. One of my favorite healthy travel snacks for kids is Incloosiv Foods’ gluten-free savory waffles.
Tip 2: Reach Out to Your Host
It’s always a good idea to contact your host ahead of time to notify them of any dietary restrictions you have if you’re staying at an all-inclusive hotel or resort or of any sensitivities you have for overnight stays. More of us experience chemical sensitivities to irritating products like scented laundry detergents, air fresheners, and scented candles, and many hosts will do their best to avoid these products ahead of your stay. If you’re especially sensitive to fragrances, you may want to consider bringing your towels, duvet covers, and pillowcases.
Tip 3: Travel Smart with Supplements
Supplements are an incredible way to boost your immune system so that no stray sneezes or coughs around you lead to coming down with anything. You can carry as many capsules onto the plane with you (I always have my favorite vitamin C from the Vimergy brand with me), as well as liquid supplements like a high-quality zinc sulfate, immune-powerhouse cat’s claw tincture, and lung-protecting lomatium (make sure your tinctures are alcohol-free!).
Your liquid supplements need to be in 3 ounce or smaller bottles, but a neat trick is to pour out into a cup all the supplements you need for the duration of your travel and put the into one or more TSA approved bottle. If you avoid coffee and black tea, often the only hot beverage options on planes, you can even pack your favorite herbal tea plus lemon wedges to enjoy by asking for simple hot water from your flight attendants.
Tip 4: Set Your Boundaries
You may get grief from your travel companions or other travelers if you’re traveling alone if you avoid certain foods or choose to eat healthy despite getting away from home. This a common experience for those who are “different.”
Depending on where you travel, you also may encounter some funny looks from the locals regarding your eating habits and the questions you ask when you visit a restaurant. Don’t let that deter you! Self-consciousness should never stand in the way of the choice most authentic to your needs.
Don’t apologize for having boundaries around what you eat. You don’t have to explain the reasons for your dietary choices in detail repeatedly or justify your requests.
Be prepared with a simple way to communicate your dietary needs. It’s often helpful to tell restaurant kitchens you have an allergy to the foods you avoid so that they take your request seriously.
Tip 5: Do Your Research
A fun part of planning for a trip can be looking up delicious-looking spots that cater to your eating habits ahead of time. This way, you can build your itineraries around locations with satisfying food options so you never feel deprived. Happycow.net is an excellent resource for finding plant-based restaurants and cafes worldwide, and many travel guides cater to various dietary habits.
Tip 6: Be Proactive
Healthy travel goes beyond food. It’s also about being proactive to minimize your risk of getting sick while enjoying time away from home. Traveling with a great water filter like the Berkey Sport bottle or one-liter travel filter is a great way to ensure you get pure water daily, whether drawing from a stream during a remote hike or filling up in airports and hotel lobbies while exploring foreign urban centers.
I also love to travel with bathroom essentials, so using public bathrooms brings as little contact with potential exposures as possible. Ensure you have your favorite hand disinfectant spray (mine is Dr. Bronner’s lavender hand sanitizer). I also always carry a sovereign silver nasal spray with me to prevent any airborne bugs from making their way into my body.
Tip 7: Don’t Forget to Enjoy
Travel is meant to be enjoyable, so make sure whatever choices you make around your healthy holiday make you feel good. Try not to stress about unknowns – do your best to prepare and trust yourself to adapt as you go. Choose a few opportunities to try something new within the boundaries you’ve created for yourself, and soak up every minute of the well-deserved time you’ve carved out to enjoy new experiences, see new places, connect with new people, and enrich your life.
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- More articles from our VIP Executive Contributor Muneeza Ahmed.